Far older than his legend, the immortal Vlad Dracul has wandered the earth for centuries in search of the reincarnation of his wife, Elisabeta. Now he believes he has found the woman possessed by his beloved's soul and is prepared to make her his for all eternity.

Tempest "Stormy" Jones is that mortal. She has long sensed the other, someone inside her fighting to take control, a feeling that becomes even stronger when the dark prince is near. But as Stormy denies the passion that burns between them, she also resists allowing Elisabeta to take over her mind and body to prevent her from claiming Vlad as her own.

But when Elisabeta discovers Vlad's feelings for Stormy, her wrath knows no bounds. She demands that her destiny be fulfilled, and seeks to destroy her rival, leaving Vlad in anguish, tormented by what was and what could be. Now only he can choose--who will live and who will die.

Product Description

About the Author

Maggie Shayne is the bestselling author of more than forty novels, including the groundbreaking vampire series Wings in the Night, the most recent of which is called Prince of Twilight. Her numerous awards include two Romantic Times Career Achievement Awards, the National Readers Choice Award, and the coveted Romance Writers of America RITA Award. Maggie lives in a small town in southern central New York. Find her at www.maggieshayne.com.

"It's Maxine Malone, and no, I'm not her." Stormy took the woman's hand. It was cool and her grip very strong. "Stormy Jones," she said. "Max and Lou are busy with another case, and we didn't think it would take all three of us to conduct the initial interview."

"I see." Melina released her grip and dug in her pocket for a business card. "I guess this must be out of date."

Stormy took the card, looked it over. The SIS logo superimposed itself over the words Supernatural Investigations Services. In smaller letters were their names, Maxine Stuart, Lou Malone, Tempest Jones and beneath that, in a fancy script, Experienced, professional, discreet and a toll-free number.

She handed the card back. "Yeah, that's pretty old. Maxie and Lou got hitched sixteen years ago now. Of course, we didn't get new cards made up until we'd used all the old ones. You have to be practical, you know."

"Naturally."

"So why all the mystery?" Stormy asked. "And why did you want to meet here?"

As she spoke, they moved through the entrance and into the vaulted corridors of the Canadian National Museum. Their steps echoed as they walked. Melina paid the entry fee in cash, and led the way deeper into the building.

"No mystery. I want you to handle a sensitive case for me. Discretion--" she tapped the old business card against her knuckle "--is imperative."

"You can trust us on that," Stormy said. "We wouldn't still be in business after all this time if we didn't know how to keep our mouths shut." She looked at a threadbare tapestry on display inside a glass case. Its colors had faded to gray, and it looked as if a stiff breeze would reduce it to a pile of lint.

"So why this place?"

"This is where it is," Melina said, eyeing several tarnished silver pieces in another case. Bowls, urns, pendants.

"Where what is?"

"What you need to see. But it won't be here for long. It's part of a traveling exhibit. Artifacts uncovered on a recent archaeological dig in the northern part of Turkey."

Stormy eyed her, waiting for her to say more, but Melina fell silent and moved farther along the hall, among line drawings and diagrams of dig sites, framed like pieces of art. Then she turned to go through two open doors into a large room. There were items lining the walls, all of them safely behind glass barriers. Brass trinkets, steel blades with elaborately carved handles of bone and ivory. Stormy glanced at the items on display, then rubbed her arms, suddenly cold to the bone. "You'd think they'd turn on the heat in here. It's freezing," she muttered. Then, to distract herself from the rush of discomfort, she snatched up a flyer from a stack in a nearby rack and read from it. According to it, the items found didn't match the culture of the area in which they'd been located, and many were thought to be the spoils of war, brought home by soldiers who looted them from faraway lands and conquered enemies. The dig site was believed to have been a monastery of sorts--a place where men went to study magic and the occult.

"Here it is," Melina said.

Stormy dragged her gaze from the flyer to where the other woman stood a few yards away, in front of a small glass cube that sat atop a pedestal. Inside the cube, resting on a clear acrylic base, was a ring. It was big, its wide band more elaborately engraved than the gaudiest high school class ring she'd ever seen. Its gleaming red stone was as big as one of those, too, only she was pretty sure this stone was real.

Stormy didn't reply. She couldn't take her eyes off the ring. For a moment it was as if she were seeing it through a long, dark tunnel. Everything around her went black, her vision riveted to the ring, her eyes unable to see anything else. And then she heard a voice.

"Inelul else al meu!"

The voice--it came from her own throat. Her lips were moving, but she wasn't moving them. The sensation was as if she had become a puppet, or a dummy in some ventriloquist act. Her body was moving all on its own, her hands reaching for the glass case, palms pressing to either side of it, lifting it from its base.

A hand closed hard on her arm and jerked her away. "Ms. Jones, what the hell are you doing?"

Stormy blinked rapidly as her body snapped back on line. She saw Melina holding her upper arm while looking around the room as if waiting for the Canadian version of a SWAT team to swarm in.

Stormy cleared her throat. "Did I set off any alarms?"

"I don't think so," Melina said. "There are sensors on the pedestal. They kick in only if the ring is removed."

Frowning as her head cleared, Stormy stared at her. "Why do you know that?"

"It's my job to know. Are you all right?" Nodding, Stormy avoided the other woman's eyes. "Yeah. Fine. I...zoned out for a minute, that's all."

But it wasn't all. And she wasn't fine. Far from it. She hadn't had an episode like that in sixteen years, but she knew the sensations that had swamped her just now. Knew them well. She would never forget. Never. She hadn't felt that way in sixteen years, not since the last time she'd been with him. With Dracula. The one and only. And though her memory of the specifics of that time with him was a dark void, her memories of...being possessed remained. And memories of Dracula or not, she'd heard his voice just a moment ago, whispering close to her.

Without the ring and the scroll, I'm afraid there is no hope.

What did it mean? Was he here? Nearby? And why, when she remembered so little about their time together, had that phrase come floating in to her memory now?

No. He wouldn't come back to her when he knew what it did to her mind and body. He'd let her go in order to spare her going through that madness anymore. Or so she liked to believe. She'd awakened in Rhiannon's private jet, on her way back home. And, like all of Vlad's victims before her, her memory of her time with him had been erased.

But not her feelings for him. Inexplicable or not, she had felt a deep sense of loss, and she'd been dying inside a little more with every single day that had passed since.

He wasn't here. He wouldn't put her through that again. Unless...

She looked again at the ring. God, could this be the ring he'd been talking about? And what had he meant by that cryptic phrase? It was hell not remembering. Sheer hell. She should hate him for playing with her mind the way he had. Over and over she'd struggled and fought to recall the time she'd spent with him, after he'd abducted her in the dead of night so long ago. She'd even tried hypnosis, but it hadn't worked. Nothing had. He'd robbed her of memories she sensed might be some of the best of her life. Damn him for that.

"Ms. Jones? Stormy?"

Turning slowly, she met Melina's far too curious brown eyes. "The ring is the reason you want to hire us?"

"Yes. What's your connection to it?"

Stormy frowned. "I don't know what you mean. I have no connection to it."

"You certainly had a strong reaction to it."

She shook her head. "I had a head injury a long time ago. Occasional blackouts are a side effect."

"Speaking in tongues is a side effect, as well?"

"It's gibberish. It doesn't mean anything. Look, the condition of my skull is really not the issue here. Are you going to tell me what this job entails or not?"

Melina looked at her, pursed her lips and lowered her voice. "I want you to steal it," she whispered. * * *

Stormy wasn't sure what she had said as she had made a hasty exit from the museum. She thought she had told Melina Roscova to do something anatomically impossible, and then she'd left. She hadn't stopped until she'd pulled up in front of the Royal Arms Hotel, where she handed her car keys and a ten-spot to a valet.

"Be careful with her," she told him. "She's special." He promised he would be, and she watched him as he drove her shiny black Nissan, with the customized plates that read Bella-Donna into the parking garage across the street. As he moved into the darkness, she heard tires squeal and winced. "One scratch, pal. You bring Belladonna back with one scratch..."

"Madam?"

She turned to see a doorman with a question in his eyes. "You're going inside?" he asked.

"You tell that moron when he gets back that if he scratched my car, I'll take it out of his hide. And it's mademoiselle. Not every thirtysomething female is married, you know."

"Of course, mademoiselle." He opened the door, his face betraying no hint of emotion. It would have been much more satisfying if he'd been defensive or hostile or even apologetic. But...nothing.

Most helpful customer reviews

I love the Twighlight stories. The first few were wonderful. Well written, entertaining, with vibrant characters and wonderful love stories. Perfect parables for "Beauty and the Beast" lovers. But this one I found hard going. Took me much longer to read that any of the others. The synopsis from the back of the book says, "Far older that his legend, the immortal Vlad Dracul has wondered the earth for centuries in search of the reincarnation of his wife, Elisabeta. Now he believes he has found the woman possessed by his beloved's soul and is prepared to make her his for all eternity. Tempest "Stormy" Jones is that mortal. She has long senses the other-someone inside her, fighting to take control, a feeling that becomes even stronger when the dark prince is near. But as Stormy denies the passion that burns between them, she also resists allowing Elisabeta to take over her mind and body to prevent her from claiming Vlad as her own. But when Elisabeta discovers Vlad's feelings for Stormy, her wrath knows no bounds. She demands that her destiny be fulfilled, and seeks to destroy her rival, leaving Vlad in anguish, tormented by what was... and what could be. Now only he can choose - who will live and who will die." It was nice to revisit Rhiannon and Roland but a few of the details have changed and they weren't quite as I remember from the original stories. It was a good ending though.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)

Amazon.com:
36 reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

let downNov. 17 2006

By
Neker
- Published on Amazon.com

Format: Mass Market Paperback

I was completely disappointed in this one. What was with the 16 year lapse? I read one book and Stormy is kidnapped by Vlad and here's this one 16 years later. I immediately start calculating in my head about old Stormy is (almost 40?!) Jeez, I'm almost 40, and the thought of having a relationship with someone physically half my age is just ... eww! Then to have such a disfunctional relationship. Stormy is nothing more than a doormat. Vlad seems to pine for his lost love constantly and yet is so easily swayed. The entire ending was sappy. What's with Damian? He just, poof, shows up just in the nick of time with no reason whatsoever to even being in the vacinity? Poor Elizabeta is turned into a child pycho that seems to whine alot. Then to top it all off, half the story is in flashbacks that occur during dreams, daydreams, and reminisents. How boring!

Regardless, this is the first time I have been so utterly disappointed in a Shayne novel. I'll continue to read. Hopefully this was only a once spoiled egg.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful

How do people publish this stuffNov. 18 2006

By
Oodles
- Published on Amazon.com

Format: Mass Market Paperback

In short this book showed poor story development, extremely poor grammar, poor character development, and had an unconvincing plot. The relationships were not believable. Who would wait five hundred years to reconnect with a lost mate, whom they only knew for two days? How could the sorceress, conveniently Vlad's best friend, predict the five hundred year reunion with a desendent of Beta (the dead wife of the 14th century) when, supposedly, all of Beta's relatives died of the plague? Also, why would the magicians, diviners, etc. etc create a spell to keep Beta's soul in limbo, only to have it share a body with someone else, namely Stormy? Why not just give her a body of her own???? So many questions. Clearly I thought more about the plot than the author. Perhaps, I shall write a novel of my own. If anything, at least my grammar is better.

Also, there was nothing endearing, or convincing about the relationship between the main characters. While I would love to believe that a twenty- something male (physically anyway)could be so very attracted to a nearly forty year old woman, who dressed like a twenty-something woman, I don't really want to read about it. I prefer the fantasy, to the actuality. Their banter was stupid too, "Take me Vlad if you think you can." "Oh I can take you and you can't stop me." "Vlad I want you." "Go to sleep so I can take you in your dreams." Does she want him or doesn't she? Can he take her, or does she need to be out cold first? Please I was so confused.

Apparently, Stormy is madly in love with Vlad from a previous encounter she had with him at the age of 23. An encounter which she had no memory of, except in her dreams. I don't know about anyone else, while I may dream about men in my sleep, I don't fall hopelessly in love with any of them in my reality. Anyhow, the confusion doesn't end there, apparently Stormy must fight off the soul sharing her body, the one the magicians couldn't find an actual body for. The two are locked in battle for the use of Stormy's body, and while this goes on Vlad confuses the two even more. He wants Stormy in her dreams so Beta won't know what he does to Stormy's body, yet wasn't Beta his great love (of two days remember), the one he waited five hundred years to be with? Is he cheating on her soul or getting it on with the body? Was he there for Stormy's body, or Beta's soul? See how confusing this gets, try reading the book it gets worse.

Finally, the original Vlad Dracula of history was an evil man, why choose him as your main character? I think the premise that he had only killed all those people out of anger for the death (suicide actually) of his great love (did I mention of two days) did not convince me to forgive "poor" Dracula.

I gave this 2 stars because I was actually able to read it. When I don't instantly throw away a book like this, there must have been something worthwhile in it, though I cannot tell you what that was. Could be that I was just bored and it was the only thing around to read.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful

Here comes a pretty negative review.Oct. 13 2006

By
A. Hanson
- Published on Amazon.com

Format: Mass Market Paperback

I have 3 things that I dislike about this book. First it has so many grammar and spelling errors that, at times, I had a hard time following the story. You kind of have to take a second to imagine what the author meant or fill in the missing words to continue in the story. The second thing that I really dislike about this story is that it took WAYYY too long for Vlad to reveal his true colors. Which brought on the third thing I disliked which is that Tempest is soo spunky but she continues to love him thus making her really pathetic. I won't ruin it for those of you who may read this in the future but lets just say these two deny each other wayyyyyyyy too much and then when there finally is some resolution it ain't nearly enough. I liked how Ms. Shayne tied everything from Gilgamesh to Egypt to present day together. It was very clever, but the cons in this book definitely outweigh the pros.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful

Too Many HolesOct. 26 2006

By
sapna
- Published on Amazon.com

Format: Mass Market Paperback

I am a reader who loves a good paranormal romance, but I hate to have my intelligence insulted by an author whose plot and events are riddled with holes.

"Prince Of Twilight" by Maggie Shayne starts out with an interesting plot and surprisingly likable heroine who is perky and outspoken without being annoying. The story is apparently about Dracula himself who binds part of his (undeserving) wife's soul - after she kills herself - to a ruby ring and waits more than five hundred years for her reincarnation. Stormy, the heroine of the book, is that reincarnated person who, falls for Dracula, but is not too enthusiastic about giving up her body for his bride to use. Dracula then faces the dilemma of wanting his wife back and falling for Stormy.

The problems I had with this book are little things like Dracula losing the ring and the scroll that would bring his wife back because he went to war carrying these things on his person and had them looted when he was injured and thought for dead. I expected him to be a little more intelligent than that and hide those things somewhere safe before going out to fight. Also, Dracula, who is said to be the second most powerful vampire on earth in this book, in on deathbed when he is stabbed on the abdomen with a knife or shot with a gun (this happens on 2 separate occasion when he is dying and has to be saved). These things should be like pin pricks to him otherwise one wonders how he survived centuries of war.

The book is full of these logical holes and they kept me from enjoying it. Even with a good plot and characters the intelligence behind telling a story makes the difference between a great writer and a mediocre one. I was reminded once again why I never buy this author's books. I borrow them from the library and only rarely.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful

Not the best of Shayne'sOct. 4 2006

By
J. Morrier
- Published on Amazon.com

Format: Mass Market Paperback

I was pretty disappointed. I like Maggie Shayne's books, but in this one, the hero and heroine just seemed a little too dysfunctional. I couldn't get how Stormy could be so head over heels in love with this guy who was so obviously hung up on someone else. She kept putting up with his stuff. Stormy was portrayed as a feisty and strong character, so why didn't she ever say no to Vlad? I kept wanting her to totally walk away from him.